Stalingrad is a famous hero city. Many domestic and foreign films have been made about the Battle of Stalingrad, and a huge number of streets and neighborhoods have been named. This article is dedicated to this city and the history of the formation of its modern name - Volgograd.
In Soviet times, it was often possible to find a city on the map of the fifteen republics under the name of some outstanding personality: a commander, politician, commander-in-chief. Stalingrad was no exception.
Stalingrad - origin of the name
In total, the city has had 3 names since its founding. The city was founded in 1589 as Tsaritsyn (next to the Tsaritsa River). Then, in 1925, the city received its second name - Stalingrad, in honor of Stalin, who led the defense of the city from the army of Ataman Krasnov.
Stalingrad - modern name
In 1961, 8 years after Stalin’s death, when the fervor of patriotism towards this person subsided, the city was renamed Volgograd. Back in the 18th century, the city was one of the main industrial cities in Russia, which it remains to this day.
Disputes on the topic of renaming Volgograd back to Stalingrad continue today. People who support the political left, mainly communists, socialists and many older people, believe that renaming the city is disrespectful to history and those people who died in the battle of Stalingrad.
This issue was considered at the highest echelons, at the state level. To reach a consensus, the government decided to retain the name Stalingrad only on specific dates that are directly related to the historical events of the city.
Days when Volgograd is officially called Stalingrad:
- February 2. On this day, Soviet troops defeated the Nazis in the Battle of Stalingrad.
- 9th May. National Day of Victory over Nazi Germany and its allies.
- 22nd of June. Day of remembrance and mourning for those killed in World War II.
- September 2. The day of the end of World War II.
- August 23. Day of Remembrance of the inhabitants of Stalingrad killed by fascist bombings.
- November 19. On this day, the defeat of the fascist army at Stalingrad began.
- most days of the year the city is called Volgograd,
- on certain days the city is called Stalingrad (days of national holidays and memorable events of the Great Patriotic War: February 2 and 23, May 8 and 9, June 22, August 23, September 2, November 19 and December 9).
Now the city is called Volgograd. The city has had this name since 1961. And from 1925 to 1961 the city was called Stalingrad, in honor, naturally, of Comrade Stalin. And until 1925 the city was called Tsaritsyn. And Stalingrad was renamed Volgograd in 1961 during the reign of Khrushchev, who exposed Stalin’s cult of personality.
Stalingrad is the former name of the city of Volgograd (1925-1961)
The hero city of Stalingrad is currently called Volgograd. The change took place in 1961. But for some reason, the historical name Tsaritsyn was not returned to it then. And in 2013, a resolution was adopted according to which the city is called Stalingrad on some holidays.
Since its inception, the city of Volgograd has been called TSARITSYN which was formed on the banks of the Great Russian Volga River (then the river was called Tsarina) by order of Tsar Ivan the Terrible during his campaign in 1589. Like everyone else in the city in those years. which were built to protect Russian borders.
After the October Revolution, in honor of one of the leaders of the revolution, the city of Tsaritsyn was renamed by the communists to the city of Stalingrad.
In 1961, the communists themselves renamed the city of Stalingrad to the city of Volgograd, the reason that they had to rename the city was the personality cult of Stalin.
In fact, Volgograd does not bear the name of the city all the time, but on certain days of the year. Other days the city is called Stalingrad, the only city that bears, one might say, two names; Volgograd and Stalingrad.
Volgograd is a city in the southeast of European Russia, founded by order of Ivan the Terrible in 1589 to protect the southern borders of Russia from the steppe tribes.
From 1589 to 1925 it was called Tsaritsyn, in honor of the Tsarina River on which modern Volgograd was built. And from 1925 to 1961 it was called Stalingrad in honor of Stalin I.V.
Volgograd stretches for approximately 65 km along the Volga River and is one of the longest cities in Russia.
The population of Volgograd is 1.019 million people. According to the administrative division, Volgograd includes eight districts:
Traktorozavodsky, Krasnooktyabrsky, Central, Dzerzhinsky, Voroshilovsky, Sovetsky, Kirov, Krasnoarmeysky.
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The city of Volgograd was previously called Stalingrad, this name suits it well since it stands on the banks of our Volga River, it is a regional city and is the center of the Volgograd region
The city is beautiful and big, I was just passing through one day, but I liked the view at first sight
Until 1925, the city of Stalingrad was called Tsaritsyn in honor of the Tsarina River, on the banks of which the city was founded by order of Ivan the Terrible.
In honor of I.V. Stalin in 1925, Tsaritsyn was renamed the City of Stalingrad.
In 1961, after the 20th Congress of the CPSU, which adopted a resolution on the personality cult of Stalin, the city of Stalingrad was renamed the city of Volgograd.
And, on May 8, one thousand nine hundred and sixty-five, the city of Volgograd was awarded the title of Hero City.
An extraordinary fact; in honor of historical events, Volgograd is named Stalingrad on the following days; February 2 and 23, May 8 and 9, June 22, August 23, September 2, November 19 and December 9 annually, by resolution of the Volgograd City Duma since 2013.
Now the city of Stalingrad has two official names.
The whole year it is called Volgograd, but nine days a year it bears the official name of Stalingrad.
This decision was made in 2013 by the Volgograd City Duma.
What else can you add to them? Perhaps a little historical information and a few words from my biography.
On April 10, 1925, the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) adopted a resolution renaming the city of Tsaritsyn to the city of Stalingrad. But why exactly did this city have to bear the name of a man whose position at the top of state power was still quite precarious? Everything is very simple. It turns out that in 1919, Joseph Vissarionovich stood at the head of the Military Council of the North Caucasus Military District, and it was thanks to his talented leadership that Denikin’s troops were inflicted a crushing defeat near the city of Tsaritsyn.
Now, imagine that the Great Patriotic War is in full swing - 1942. The Nazis, after the failure of the offensive near Moscow, made a new attempt to bring the Soviet Union to its knees. The Nazis are rushing to the Volga, trying to capture Stalingrad and block the water and land communications connecting the central regions of Russia with the southern regions of the USSR, cutting it off from Caucasian oil.
This was the main reason why they fought for Stalingrad to the last drop of blood. But the second important thing was the name of the city - Stalingrad. How could a city named after a Soviet leader be given over to the enemy to be torn to pieces?
Thus, everyone understood whoever wins the Battle of Stalingrad will be the winner of the war. And having gathered all their strength, the heroic Soviet people once again surprised the whole world - they not only survived, but defeated the praised Wehrmacht - on February 2, 1943...
Someday, I think this will become a reality, I will be able to connect my birthday - February 2, with the date of the end of the Stalingad operation, marking these two events in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, a city located on the great Russian Volga River - Volgograd. Exactly Now called Stalingad, who bore the glorious name Tsaritsyn in his youth.
Now this city is called Volgograd. And during the Great Patriotic War it was called Stalingrad. The battle for it still bears the name of Stalingrad. But the city itself was renamed during the fight against the cult of personality.
Now the city is called Volgograd. The history of the USSR went down under the name Stalingrad, but after the war they decided to change the name for many reasons, the city is located on the Volga River, and this name was considered more suitable.
Stalingrad is currently called Volgograd, a city on the Volga. But in 2013, deputies of the city Duma made an unprecedented decision that from now on it will have a flickering name, that is, it now has two official names:
Today marks the 75th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet army in the Battle of Stalingrad. Everyone knows that after the expulsion of Hitler's troops the city lay in ruins; everyone remembers the famous photograph of the Barmaley fountain with dancing children.
But almost no one, except interested local residents, saw what Stalingrad (and, until 1925, Tsaritsyn) looked like before the battle for it began. Therefore, I suggest you look at old photographs and try to imagine the pre-war Volga city:
There are not many Soviet pre-war photographs of Stalingrad, so let's start with Tsaritsyn during the imperial period.
The first (central) part of Tsaritsyn. The photo was taken from the first fire tower, opened in 1854, which stood where the entrance to the Medical University is now located (along the Alley of Heroes). 
Salt wharf and barns at the end of the 19th century 
View of the city of Tsaritsyn, 1886. Now this is the perspective of Avenue. Lenin from the city center in a southwestern direction. 
Fishing pier on the Volga, 1886 
Lower Forest Pier, 1886 
View of the city of Tsaritsyn, 1886 
Gryaze-Tsaritsyn railway. Oil warehouses of the Nobel brothers partnership, 1886 
Viaduct, 1898. The railway bridge across the Tsarina River, built in 1898, connected the Gryaze-Tsaritsyn and Tikhoretsk railways into a single transport system. 
The Tsaritsa River at its confluence with the Volga, early 20th century 
Tsaritsyn at the beginning of the 20th century. Astrakhanskaya street is the current Sovetskaya street. 
Kulyginsky vzvoz is another alternative to Astrakhan, the route from Zatsaritsyn to the central (First) part of the city. The vzvoz has been partially preserved in the area of the high-speed tram turning circle, where even now you can go down the same road into the Tsaritsyn ravine. 
View of the floodplain of the Tsaritsa River and the beginning of Aleksandrovskaya Street, 1880s. Yes, residential buildings used to stand right in the ravine. 
Pleasure garden "Concordia", late 19th - early 20th centuries. Apparently, this place is now a vacant lot. 
Railway station, summer gazebo. 1875 
Station Square at the end of the 19th century 
Tsaritsyn station, fish warehouses 
Station in 1903-1905 
Trade school, early 20th century. It was located on Belskaya Street (current Kommunisticheskaya); In the distance you can see the tower of the 1st fire station. 
Moskovskaya street and the building of the Zemstvo government, 1905-1912. 
View of the city from the Volga, 1912 
The ravine through which the Tsarina flows, 1910-1914 
Building of the 4th Women's Gymnasium, 1913. Surprisingly, it survived the war. Now it houses the Cossack Theater. 
This is the same building from a different angle. Here you can see the trams that had just appeared in the city (the first electric tram was launched in Tsaritsyn in the spring of 1913). 
Gogol Street, 1913-1917. 
The same street, 1913-1916 
Market Square, 1910-1915. 
Jail 
Holy Spirit Monastery, 1912-1917. 
Tsaritsyn. 1st Men's Gymnasium and Real College, 1916-1917. These buildings no longer exist, now this block on Prospect. Lenin is occupied by the administration of the Volgograd region. 
The square in front of the Church of the Ascension, circa 1918. Now in this place there is a park named after. Sasha Filippova. 
Orphanage of the Mezhrabpom organization, former Miller's house. After the revolution, it housed a Youth Theater. The building was seriously damaged during the war, but did not collapse, and stood abandoned until the 1960s, when it was then demolished. The house stood next to the current parking lot of the Pyramid shopping center. 
"House with Swans", built in the 1920s (corner of Mira and Lenin streets). It was also damaged during the war and was restored in a greatly modified form. 
Physiotherapeutic Institute named after. Semashko, 1925-1942 
City Council building, 1925-1942. Now it houses the Volgograd Regional Museum of Local Lore. 
Tsaritsyn Defense Museum, late 1920s. 
In 1930, the famous fountain was built on the site of the flowerbed. 
The station after reconstruction in 1931. 
Stalingrad Youth Theater, 1930-1941. 
House of Public Utilities Workers, 1937-1941. The building was destroyed during the Battle of Stalingrad. 
Square of Fallen Soldiers, 1937-1938. At the top of the photo you can see the ruins of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, blown up in 1932. 
From a different angle. 
Nizhnyaya Oktyabrskaya Street and Oktyabrskaya Square, 1935 (now here is the Alley of Heroes) 
State publishing house, 1930s 
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and the monument to Lenin on the Square of Fallen Fighters. They were neighbors, as you already understood, not for long. The cathedral was destroyed by the communists in 1932, and the monument was destroyed during the war. 
City center in 1931 
Stalingrad in 1932. The cathedral has not yet been blown up. 
House of Science and Arts, 1930. It was opened under the Tsar, but under the Bolsheviks it retained its functions. 
It's him. The building was badly damaged during the war, and in the early 1950s it was rebuilt in the Stalinist style. 
Regional Executive Committee, 1935-1940. There is now a park where construction of the new Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is underway. 
The central department store, which was built right before the war, in 1938. It was destroyed during the war and restored in 1949 according to a new design. Nowadays the Intourist Hotel is located here. 
Proletkultskaya Street, until 1942. It ran parallel to the current Komsomolskaya, now this place is occupied by residential areas of post-war buildings. 
"House of Visitors" at the Tractor Plant. It has still been preserved (215 Lenin Avenue), but in poor condition. 
Checkpoint of the Red October plant, 1939 
View of the village of the tractor factory and the circus, 1932-1941. The Stalingrad Circus was opened in 1932 and is designed for 3,000 spectators. During the Great Patriotic War it was partially destroyed. The lower part of the building was subsequently used for the construction of the Traktorozavodsky district market. 
April 10, 1941, view of Komsomolsky Square 
All photos found on the site
Volgograd is one of the largest cities in the Volga region, whose history goes back several centuries. The first mention of the city, which stretches along the Volga right bank for approximately 70 km, dates back to 1589, when the Russian state faced an urgent need to protect a new transport route - the Volga River. It was then that the city of Tsaritsyn was founded, several centuries later renamed Stalingrad, and then Volgograd.
Tsaritsyn - the beginning of the history of the city of Volgograd
July 2, 1589 is considered to be the founding day of Tsaritsyn. On the island, the settlers built a wooden fortress to defend against the steppe nomads. However, this church did not save the city from the tsarist troops, who stormed the settlement in 1607. A year later, the first stone church (John the Baptist) was erected in Tsaritsyn, which stood until the end of the 30s of the 20th century and was restored to its original location in the 90s.
In 1615, the fortifications of Tsaritsyn were rebuilt in a new location - no longer on the island, but on the right bank of the Volga. It was here that Stepan Razin stopped on his way to Persia in 1667 and in 1669 during the return trip. His squad captured Tsaritsyn in 1670 after a long siege, establishing Cossack self-government in the city.
In 1708, during the uprising of the Don Cossacks in the Lower Volga region, one of the large detachments led by Ignat Nekrasov and Ivan Pavlov moved to Tsaritsyn and captured the city by storm. In the next decade, this settlement more than once became the target of raids by Circassians, Nogais and Adygeis.
In 1718, on the Volga coast, by decree of Peter I, the Tsaritsyn guard line began to be built. Tsaritsyn became the outermost fortress on the Volga bank, the fifth in a row. Having visited the city once again, the Tsar promised the local residents that no one would dare resettle the townspeople to Azov, and donated his cane and cap to Tsaritsyn (these items are still kept in the Volgograd Museum of Local Lore).
Two severe fires (in 1727 and 1728) almost completely destroyed the wooden buildings. The victims were allocated land across the Tsaritsa River, thus forming the Zatsaritsyn part of the city (now this territory is the Voroshilovsky district of Volgograd).
In 1765, with the permission of Catherine II, the first foreign colonists appeared in Tsaritsyn. At the mouth of the Sarpa River, the Gernhuter Germans founded a settlement called Sarepta-on-Volga, surrounded by a fortress with an earthen rampart and a moat.
In 1774, Emelyan Pugachev’s troops tried to take Tsaritsyn by storm, but government troops under the command of Michelson, who came to the rescue, repelled the attack. After the defeat of Pugachev's uprising, the Volga Cossack Army and the Tsaritsyn guard line were abolished.
The beginning of the 19th century was marked by a number of events that determined the further development of the city. In 1808, the first school in the city to teach children to read and write was opened in Tsaritsyn, and the first professional doctors appeared. In 1812, a mustard plant began operating, and in 1820, by order of Tsar Alexander I, a new development plan for Tsaritsyn was approved. In the middle of the 19th century, fields in Sarepta were first sown with potatoes, which had previously been considered a harmful “devil’s apple.”
In 1862, the Volga-Don Railway was built from Tsaritsyn to Kalach-on-Don, connecting the Volga and Don at the shortest distance. In 1870, the first trains passed along the Gryaze-Tsaritsyn railway.
The year 1814 marked the beginning of the towing shipping company, and in 1857 regular passenger traffic on the Volga opened.
In 1872, the first theater was opened in Tsaritsyn, and three years later - a men's gymnasium, which became the first educational institution in the city where one could receive a classical secondary education.
The end of the 19th century is an important milestone in the industrial development of the city. During these years, a large oil depot was built, a sawmill, oil refinery and metallurgical plants were launched, and a city water supply system was opened.
In 1885, the first issue of the Volzhsko-Donskoy Listok newspaper was published, and five years later the city public library was opened.
The 20th century began with a big fire that raged for several days. And again the city had to be rebuilt.
In 1913, the first city tram was launched in Tsaritsyn and the construction of the Astrakhan Bridge across the Tsaritsa River was completed. At the same time, asphalt roads, cars and the first electric lights appeared in the city.
In 1914, the groundbreaking ceremony for a cannon factory took place in the city and a pedagogical museum was founded. A year later, the House of Science and Arts was built in Tsaritsyn and a meteorological station was opened.
In 1916, the city completed construction of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which began in 1901, and already in 1932 the temple was destroyed.
During the October Revolution of 1917, a revolutionary headquarters was formed in Tsaritsyn. Soviet power in the city was established peacefully, since a month ago the Bolsheviks S.K. Minin and Ya. Z. Yerman took control of Tsaritsyn.
Stalingrad - the heroic history of Volgograd
In 1925, by decision of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee, Tsaritsyn was renamed Stalingrad. Documents from those years indicate that Comrade Stalin himself was against such a renaming; he even refused to appear at the local Congress of Soviets.
In 1924, Stalingrad was awarded the Order of the Red Banner by government decree.
Until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, active industrial and social construction continued in the city: tractor and hardware plants were put into operation, construction of a power plant began according to the GOELRO plan, and the Stalingrad Tractor Institute opened. By the end of the first five-year plan, Stalingrad had become the largest industrial center of the Volga region.
In 1930, the Stalingrad State District Power Plant with a capacity of 51,000 kilowatts was launched, and a year later the first stage of the shipyard in the Krasnoarmeysky district of the city went into operation. In the mid-30s, pedagogical and medical institutes, the Tsaritsyn Defense Museum, and the first Palace of Pioneers and Schoolchildren were opened in Stalingrad.
A year before the Great Patriotic War, the only children's Volga River Flotilla in the USSR was built in the city with its own ships and pier.
On July 17, 1942, the heroic defense of Stalingrad began, which lasted until February 2, 1943, when the liquidation of the encircled group of Nazi troops was completely completed. This day is considered to be the end of the Battle of Stalingrad. The restoration of the destroyed city began. In 1945, Stalingrad, Leningrad, Odessa and Sevastopol were awarded the titles of hero cities.
In 1958, the largest Stalingrad hydroelectric power station in Europe was put into operation and the Stalingrad Television Center began broadcasting.
Volgograd: history of the city name
On November 10, 1961, “at the request of the workers,” the CPSU Central Committee decided to rename Stalingrad to Volgograd. The history of the city's name is connected with the Volga. Volgograd literally means “city on the Volga”.
In 1960, the Eternal Flame was lit, and in the same year, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of Cuba, Fidel Castro, arrived in the city on an official visit.
In the city, almost completely restored after the war, large-scale construction of industrial, residential and social facilities continued. The history of the development of Volgograd, incredibly rich in both joyful and tragic events, did not stop for a minute.
In the 1960s, the engine and soot factories came into operation, a new circus building was put into operation, a monument-ensemble “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” was erected, and the Higher Investigation School of the Ministry of Internal Affairs opened its doors. In the same years, the city was awarded the Golden Star medal and the Order of Lenin, and the title “Honorary Citizen of the Hero City of Volgograd” was established.
In the 1970s, the history of Volgograd, photos of which are presented in the photo gallery on this page, was marked by such a significant event as the awarding of the Order of Lenin. This award was awarded not only to the city, but also to the entire Volgograd region, and five residents of Volgograd were awarded the title of honorary citizen.
At the same time, the Volgograd shoe factory was built,
The Theater for Young Spectators opened.
In the 1980s, Volgograd State University was founded, the “Battle of Stalingrad” panorama was opened, the third urban master plan for Volgograd was approved, and the first stage of a high-speed tram was launched, connecting the city center with its northern regions. The length of the line was 16 km (13 km on the ground and 3 km underground). During these same years, a monument to participants in the revival of Volgograd was unveiled and a new holiday was introduced - Volgograd City Day. One of the significant events of this period was the birth of its millionth resident; on May 3, 1989, Volgograd officially became the 24th million-plus city in the USSR. In September of the same year, Volgograd celebrated its 400th anniversary.
No less important events occurred in the 1990s of the 20th century. At the turn of the century the following were discovered:
State Historical and Ethnographic Museum Reserve "Old Sarepta"
Center for Russian Spiritual and Singing Culture "Concordia"
Volgograd Regional Armenian Cultural Center.
The private art gallery "Vernissage" and the Children's Art Gallery opened their doors.
In 1991, the 1st International Festival of Avant-garde Art “Kaiphedra” was held in Volgograd, the Union of Volga Germans “Heimat” was created and the State Don Cossack Theater was established. At the same time, for the first time in the history of Volgograd, pilot issues of Novaya Gazeta and Gorodskie Vesti were published, the Nizhne-Volzhskaya Customs was formed, the Volgograd Regional Center for the Prevention and Control of AIDS and the Volgograd Regional Cardiology Center received its first visitors, the Volga Olympic Academy and the Volgograd Institute were created management and the Diocesan Theological School.
In the 90s, the Volgograd Television and Radio Company began broadcasting, the first radio station in the FM range “Europe Plus Volgograd” and the radio station “New Wave”. In 1998, Volgograd dropped out of the list of million-plus cities.
The beginning of the 21st century was marked by the re-awarding of the million-plus status to the city on the Volga (2002). But already in 2004, the number of Volgograd residents again fell below the cherished mark. Between 2000 and 2010 A gerontology center and a representative office of the International Association for Combating Drug Addiction and Drug Trafficking were opened in the city, the first stage of the bridge across the Volga was put into operation, and the second stage of the Volgograd metrotram opened. In 2008, Volgograd received the status of a million-plus city for the third time. In 2011, 28 settlements were included in the regional center.
From its very origins to the present, the city has played an important role in the formation of the Russian state. The history of Volgograd, a video about the main milestones of which can be viewed on this page, continues, the city is developing in all important directions, our descendants will have to say their next word in the chronicle of Volgograd.
The city of Stalingrad: what is it called now, and what name did it have before? This will be our conversation.Turning the pages of history, one can understand that the city has a complex, heroic biography.Tsaritsyn, Stalingrad, Volgograd - all these are names of the same city. Few cities in Russia have changed their names three times in their history.
Tsaritsyn
Let's start our journey into history from the distant 16th century, when the city of Tsaritsyn was built on the banks of the Volga, designed to become one of the trade and political centers that was needed here, since the river in those days was a means of transportation in the summer for ships, in the winter for carts . And this path had to be maintained and protected from enemy attacks.
The wooden fortress built here in 1589, built by settlers, was burned by the tsarist troops. Stone buildings appeared in place of wooden ones. The settlement wandered from place to place, sometimes building on the right Volga bank, sometimes on the left. Either the Cossacks ruled there, or the Adygeis, Circassians, and Nogais came running.
This lasted until Peter the Great came to the city and ordered the construction of the Tsaritsyn guard line, giving the city his cap and cane, which are kept in the museum to this day. This happened in 1718.
Many more terrible events befell the city of Tsaritsyn: two devastating fires, the raid of Emelyan Pugachev, the settlement of German colonists on the Volga banks.
In the 19th century, Tsaritsyn reached unprecedented prosperity. The first school opened in the city, doctors began to see patients, a mustard factory opened, potatoes began to be grown in the fields, and a railway line appeared. These events turned out to be only the precursors of the rapid development of Tsaritsyn as a center of industry and culture.
In 1917, Bolshevik power was established in the city peacefully, and this served only as another impetus for its rapid prosperity.
Stalingrad
In 1925, the congress of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee decided to name the city after J.V. Stalin, who, according to eyewitnesses, was against this and did not even come to the congress.
As a result of the congress in 1925, the city lost its historical name Tsaritsyn. Stalingrad is a name that marked a new milestone in its development.
New factories and plants are being built, the Stalingrad State District Power Plant is being launched, the Stalingrad Tractor Plant is being put into operation, pedagogical and medical institutes are opening. Stalingrad (1925-1961), despite everything, in the most difficult historical conditions, became the largest industrial and cultural center of the Volga region.
The city developed and deteriorated until disaster struck our country. In 1941 the Great Patriotic War began.
Battle of Stalingrad
The Nazis moved across the country by leaps and bounds. Stalingrad was an important strategic point for their offensive.
The days from July 17, 1942 to February 2, 1943 were a terrible time for the city and for the entire country, called the Battle of Stalingrad. According to official data, more than a million Soviet people died in those days. Among them were old people, women, and children.
People died not only in the battle - the city was subjected to air raids, as a result of which a huge number of civilians died. Although it is difficult to call those people civilians. Everyone who could hold tools in their hands, young and old, came out to build protective structures in the destroyed city. Despite the devastation, the factories continued to operate, producing new tanks and shells. Those who could, went to the machines.
The command sent more and more military units to the Stalingrad Front. Relentless statistics show that the average life of a soldier on the Stalingrad lines was 24 hours.
They fought for every street, every house. The Nazis joked bitterly, calling that war on the streets of Stalingrad a “rat war.”
The real massacre took place behind the highest point near the city - Mamayev Kurgan. From time immemorial, the enemy tried to capture this important strategic facility. From it you could see the entire city and its surroundings for many kilometers at a glance.
Particularly fierce battles took place in the areas of the artillery and tractor factories, which all this time continued to produce military equipment, which was immediately sent into battle.
February 2 is the day of the official victory of the Soviet army over the Nazis in the Battle of Stalingrad. This day became a turning point for the outcome of the entire war. In Germany, mourning was declared over the defeat at Stalingrad.
The city of Stalingrad suffered terrible battles. Every resident of the city and all of Russia knows what the name of the place is now that perpetuates the memory of the defenders who died here. On Mamayev Kurgan stands a majestic monument to the heroes who gave their lives in that battle.
In the post-war years, the city quickly began to recover, acquiring its past grandeur and beauty. Destroyed buildings, plants, factories were revived, and new ones were built.
Volgograd
The city of Stalingrad: what is this hero city called now? No one doubts why the name of the city has changed once again.
The decision to rename was made in 1961. The working people of the country did not want the name of the city to remind of a person whose name was associated with the destruction of a huge number of innocent people.
Changes have occurred on the map of our huge country. The replacement Stalingrad-Volgograd did not affect the rapid development of the city. Currently, it is a city of over a million people, attracting many tourists who remember its heroic history.
There are many memorable places here, and to this day residents of the whole country remember the city of Stalingrad. What is the panorama of military events called now? Of course, the Stalingrad panorama. How can you rename that battle? No way. It will forever retain the name -Battle of Stalingrad.